Wings
by Phayte
Summary: RS-A legend depicts a protective race, but when forgotten isn't so forgotten anymore, myths become life.
1. Legend

**WINGS: LEGEND  
  
DISCLAIMERUG me no own kindom hearts  
**  
"Well, cummon Selphie, out with it. You've interrupted all of our battles, may as well tell us what's got you so hyped up." Riku shrugged rather bored and glanced at Sora, who was nursing another bruise on his arm. Riku tried to look apologetic, but Sora scowled at him and ceased rubbing the sore spot.  
  
"Pft, battles, in your dreams! Well, anyway, are you ready for a history lesson on our beloved islands?" Selphie waved the book she was holding around in the air, nearly hitting Tidus in the head.  
  
"Watch it!"  
  
"Selphie," Sora was still scowling, still sulking at the fact that he could manage to stop the heartless with his keyblade, but not beat Riku with a bokken on Destiny Islands, "I was never any good at history, maybe I shouldn't-"  
  
"Don't you dare Sora! You'll hear it like the rest of us! Besides, it's so cool, I just thought you'd want to hear it!"  
  
"Oh fine." Sora pouted and plopped down on the sand between Riku and Kairi.  
  
"I found this doing some research for school. Now it's told that once, a long time ago, this island had no humans on it whatsoever. There were these creatures who looked like humans, but had wings. Not feathered ones either, kinda like reptilian ones, dragon wings. Well, anyway, they protected these islands, they were those creatures homes.   
  
"The creatures sort of feared the humans, stating that they were vulgar and deceptive and the creatures wanted to protect against all of the advancement and harm the humans did to the environment."  
  
"So basically, those creatures got the whole crappy stereotype of the human race." Riku pipped up.  
  
"Can we call them halflings or something, besides 'creatures'." Sora crossed his arms, his rough-sounding comment earning looks from everyone present.  
  
"Fine, ok, well, the halflings outlawed any human contact, seeing it as the only way to keep humans from coming to these islands. But one of the cre-uh, halflings was restless. The legends say, this one was only a juvenille but he felt a need to see everything beyond this world, and once, he decided to. Once his escape was discovered, wards were set up around the islands, no one was to allow him anywhere near this place again. But he did come back, happier than he ever thought he could be. With him, was a human, the halfling had fallen in love with the human and evidentally missed his home, that, or wanted to show the human his home. Either way, everyone was enraged and betrayed, they stripped the young one of his wings, dignity, and social standing, for ten thousand years. The young halfling was exiled to the human world for what they thought would be the rest of its days.   
  
This, however, turned out to be a possible mistake on the halfling's part. Eventually, the islands became populated by humankind. The halflings were so enraged, they fled this realm, cursing the couple by forever stranding them on this island, knowing both of their hearts were full of wanderlust. The former halfling was so depressed, that it'd lay on the shores and gaze up at the sky all of the time, they say its eyes became the sky. Everyday, it'd wish its life away, waiting for ten thousand years to be up. Eventually, the couple simply wished so much, that they forgot"  
  
"Talk about degredation." Kairi's eyes were turned to the sand beneath her legs, "I feel kinda bad now for even being here."  
  
"Ten thousand years? Harsh."  
  
"How d'you just forget something like that ya?"  
  
"Ah, I wouldn't let it get to ya'. It's just a story right?" Despite his solid demeanor, Riku's voice contained a small shake.  
  
"Well, it was interesting Selphie, thanks for the break." Sora offered her a hand to help her up after dusting himself off.  
  
Selphie grinned brightly and gave him a small hug before running to her boat, "I'm going to take this back now, you all can go about you 'battles' now!"  
  
"So," Tidus stood eventually, a smirk on his face, "who do you think was his lover? Maybe another guy!"  
  
"Don't be stupid Tidus!" Kairi turned pink at the thought, "besides, Selphie never said if the halfling was a male or female."  
  
Sora shrugged and looked up at the sky, "Eh, ya never know." Riku eyed him curiously for a moment but banished the thought, just a story.  
  
A/N: YAY LEGEND! The next chapter's really the plot, just needed this for background. 


	2. Come To Life

**WINGS: COME TO LIFE  
  
DISCLAIMERUG me no own kingdom hearts**

_"You will get your wings in time boy. Rush not when you have no time for it."_  
  
"W-what do you mean, what are you talking about?!"  
  
_"Headstrong, foolish. Calm and let them grow naturally, there will be time."_  
  
"Time for what? W-who...what do you want with me? Are they back?"  
  
_"You will not fall this time. They will come."_  
  
"But we don't want that to happen."  
  
_"Headstrong. Calm, you will get your wings in time for the one who needs them the most."  
_  
"But why not give them to whoever needs them!"  
  
_"Rush not when you have no time for it."_  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
_"Think on your own child! Let no other do it for you!"_

_

* * *

_  
"Wake up you lazy bum!" The voice was distant as Sora slowly came to the land of the wakeful. Why? Why did people always call him that? Sure, he liked laying around on the sandy shore and the occasional nap on a lazy summer day, but didn't everyone else?  
  
Apparently not; for a moment later, he was rudely brought completely awake as something relatively heavy landed on his stomach. "OOMF!" Sora sat up, his eyes now wide and cradling the thing on his lap instinctively, as it had gotten in the way of his protesting stomach. "What'd you do that for?!" Sora blinked and stroked the creature he found to be his cat absently, who was hissing and growling rather menacingly at its assaulter.  
  
"That oversized RAT tried to scalp me! I THOUGHT you were supposed to be looking for him!" Riku sneered at the fluffy calico snuggling up on Sora's lap, purring and mewling happily under Sora's petting, affectionate scratching, and mutterings about how he was a poor kitty being dropped like that but he shouldn't run off. Riku just snorted and cleared his throat loudly to get Sora's attention. Sora, in turn, perked up with an amazed look as if he'd just noticed Riku was there. "You turn into a marshmellow everytime that thing is anywhere near you. You're such a girl sometimes Sora."  
  
"What're you talking-I am n-"   
  
Sora's whine/pout made Riku laugh, who interrupted him, an amuzed glint in his eyes as he looked at Sora petting his cat, "You must've been having a good dream though." He said rapidly changing the subject, "Looked like you were gonna sprout wings and just fly away. Getting claustrophobic on these islands?"  
  
Sora froze, his right hand hovering over the cat's ears. Wings? Coincidence, must be, he just looked...wistful...in his sleep that's it. Despite himself, Sora stretched his left arm back and scratched the area in between his shoulderblades.  
  
_"They'll grow in time."_  
  
Sora jumped and spun around, upsetting the cat on his lap, who scurried away growling, most likely how no one seemed to like him on this island.  
  
"I said they'll grow in time." Riku was squatting on the ground, holding Sora's arm, "All that time and you haven't grown hardly an inch. Well, you're due for a growth spurt right?"   
  
"Hmph, I'm not short." Sora turned his back on Riku.  
  
Riku laughed and fell on his back, "Compared to some you are! But, we all like you the way you are hero, so don't-hey, what's this?" Riku had started to scratch the spot Sora couldn't quite reach.  
  
"What's what?" Sora reached his hand back and Riku grabbed it, stretching it the rest of the way to the spot he was indicating. Two bumps, Riku let go of Sora's hand and rested his chin on his friend's shoulder looking ahead at the ocean, "Did you fall or scrape your back or something?"  
  
Sora's cheeks pinked slightly. "R-Riku? I-I don't think so, it doesn't hurt."  
  
"Hmph, weird huh?"   
  
Suddenly, there was an extremely comforting warmth about Riku right now. Sora'd felt it before and knew he liked it, but didn't know quite how to explain it. Still, it induced this kind of haze on his mind, where he didn't want to leave, only stay in this position forever.  
  
Sora was in the sky, clouds rushing by him, air whistling in his ears. He was falling, again. 'He said I wouldn't fall. Why's everything so dark? A storm? But the rainy season is over. Where am I?'  
  
"Sora! Soraaaa!"  
  
"Riku? Riku, what's going on? It's cold, you were so warm. He said I shouldn't rush it, but I'm so cold!"  
  
"Sora, the sky's getting dark. Sora, come back to me! Don't you dare leave me again!"  
  
He was reaching out to Sora again, but this time, it was a need for Sora to take it. Tears filled those oceanic eyes, he was scared and sad, "Sora! What's going on!" He was fighting the darkness up above while Sora was falling. Bleeding, Riku was bleeding from dozens of gashes, and something was holding Sora back from rising.  
  
"STOP!" Sora struggled, "he needs me!"  
  
_"There will be time."_  
  
"Not enough!"  
  
_"You will not fall this time."  
_  
"I AM falling!"  
  
_"Calm."_  
  
"RIKUUUUUUUU!"  
  
Pain exploded in Sora's back. Nothing could ever come close to this. He screeched out as he felt his back being torn apart, clutching his head, Sora curled into a ball inadvertently, his whole body felt on fire and he felt as though he were being torn apart from every angle. His eyes were glazed over when he opened them, but he saw Riku, fighting against the darkening skies, against winged creatures trying to harm him, yelling out something to Sora.   
  
Just as Sora was about to let go, his last vision to be that his tear-blinded best-friend, light exploded behind his eyes. Sora arched his back, yelling out one last time as wings, glorious pearl white, gossamer, reptilian wings burst forth from his body. His vision came back quickly as did all his senses.  
  
_"Headstrong, rushing into things. It is your time now. Patience wills strength."  
_  
Without a second thought, Sora raced up, he was no longer falling, and would never again, somehow, he knew it. The darkness would never take him again. He reached out his hand and took Riku's. It was such a smooth act, pulling Riku into his embrace. Sora wrapped his wings around Riku protectively. "I remember Riku, I remember. It's been so long, but I got them back, I told you I would. See, nothing to worry about."   
  
"I know, and I'll never forget, never again." **(1)  
**  
For one fleeting moment, aqua met sky-blue, reflecting the light in their souls into the darkness. The darkness vanished screetching, as if mortally wounded and the winged creatures retreated with a new understanding.  
  
Their lips met then, sealing forever in their hearts. This was destiny, and who was to question destiny?

* * *

"So, you're really one of the guardians? You're really the one who-who fell in love with that human?" Selphie looked at Sora with wide, adorning eyes.  
  
"Heh heh, guess so." Sora scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit. His wings spread out to their full span, another nervous habit. Everyone around gasped in wonder, eyes betraying the question they refused to ask out of morality, 'Can I touch them?'  
  
"S-so who was it that you fell in love with Sora? Do they remember?" Kairi's cheeks were tinged slightly pink.  
  
"Somethings are just better left to legend I guess." Sora laughed at their disappointed faces.  
  
Choruses of "awww, come on!" rung for the small crowd of kids. However, above all that, Sora heard Riku calling him, "Hey Sora! I'll race you to the island for sparing! And don't you dare think about cheating with those big wings of yours!" His tone was so light and simply contented, Sora couldn't help but smile, "You're on!"

* * *

The sun set in the beautiful sky, casting yellows, oranges, reds, and purples to reflect upon the serene ocean, with the dark blue of full night in their wake.   
  
"So what do you think will happen in the future?"  
  
They sat together, his wings loosely wrapped around the one he'd loved then and now. The keyblade laying not forgetten, beside them.  
  
"I'll protect these islands. It's my duty I guess, and you'll be here with me."  
  
"I like that idea." He flicked the one leaf-stem of a fruit into the water and wiped some nectar off of his chin while leaning against the body attached to the silken wings.  
  
He did not get a response however, due to the fact that Sora had fallen asleep against his back. Riku shifted him so that Sora lay facing his stomach on his lap, his wings spread out behind him. Riku smiled and pet Sora's head for a while before leaning against the tree and falling asleep himself.

* * *

A/N: Just so this is a little cleared up, it's after Kingdom hearts, Riku's freed and he and Sora are going along fine with their friendship. After the scene with the cat, Sora kinda falls asleep, but what's happening is kinda happening in his and Riku's own world. The rest don't know about it, but it is really happening. I read over it and realized that that might be a little more than confusing.  
  
**(1)** This alludes to the game and the story, what Riku means is that he'll never forget that he cares about Sora and he'll never forget his light. And I'm just saying here that Sora, being himself in his other life kinda stated that he'd get his wings back sometime, kinda like a dare thing. 


End file.
